Recognizing that there is a general concern regarding articling in Canada, the problem seems to be particularly acute with respect to criminal law articles. Working at the law school with students interested in criminal law and recently having been students looking for criminal law articles, we have all encountered the difficulties posed by fewer criminal law positions and are concerned about the potential impact this may have on the future of the criminal bar.
We would like to study the problem of criminal law articles by developing a survey and interviewing both lawyers and students to assess the nature of the problem and determine whether there are any reasonable solutions. In this process we also hope to identify strengths and weaknesses in the experiences of those who have completed criminal law articles and consider possible improvements to the criminal law articling experience.